A Glimpse Of Hope
by mollza
Summary: Time is running out as something suspicious is going on between Phoebe and her Boss, but is it right for Paige and Piper to investigate or will it lead to more devastating events for the sisters?
1. When was I out for the night?

**_This is my first story so please review so I know whether to update. Thank_ you.**

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Paige glared up at the open grey sky; she wondered if she would be alive to see one last sunset. She was all alone. Her sisters had abandoned her there, they promised they would return but that is yet to be verified. Taking one last fighting breath, she spoke, barely able to open her mouth as water engulfed the surroundings and herself.

Drawing up her strength, she whispered:

"Leo."

_One week earlier..._

"Piper quickly call 911. Our sister has been abducted by her evil boss as revenge for her constant kindness!" Paige said with a hint of sarcasm.

Piper and Paige had just begun making breakfast in the kitchen at 7:56am. Neither of them had seen Phoebe since the previous night as she drove back to her work to finish with her column. She did say she might be there all night but this wasn't unfamiliar for her these days. Phoebe had been visiting her office almost every day of the week since Monday (4 days ago) to finish a 'big project' she's been working on with her new boss, Matt McKean.

"Look, Paige, she's been out all week and I can't help but worry. She's my little sister for heaven sake!"

"Yes, Piper but I'm your lil'-sister too and if I go gallivanting about after demons you wouldn't care half as much as you do with Phoebe right no-"

"Oh come on Paige you know I would care ab-" Piper was swiftly interrupted by Paiges' reassurance.

"I know, I know, but that's not my point. My point _is_.. that you are paranoid. Stop worrying she'll be fine, it's not as though she's going down to the underworld to meet with demons or Barbas; it's her boss..." Paige looked at Piper trying to comfort her worries.

Piper had always had her suspicions about Phoebe's boss, and with her constant need to go to the office every night, it made her more anxious than ever.

Just before Piper had chance to retaliate, she was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening with the voice of someone they both were dying to hear... Phoebe.

"Hey guys! What's for breakfast?"

Phoebe burst into the kitchen barely able to keep her eyes open to see the blurred figures she calls her sisters.

Piper let out an exaggerated sigh of relief, as Paige didn't show it but was also in a worried state for Phoebe's well-being. It wasn't often Phoebe stayed out all night without letting her sisters know where she was or when she'd be home.

"Where have you been? You couldn't have been at the office all night I was worried like crazy! You didn't call an-" Piper glared at Phoebe for a short second noticing the look of tiredness on her younger sisters eyes. "You should get some sleep. You look exhausted!"

"Yeah, you should go to bed, I'm sure they don't pay you for a full 24 hours work you know phoebes." Paige responded.

"Look I'm fine-" Phoebe said, unwillingly letting out a yawn which proved Piper and Paiges' point. "- Ok, fine maybe your right. See you in the morning!"

"Er, phoebes; it _is _the morning" Paige interrupted.

"Oh yeah, well I'll see you *yawns* -in a bit then..."

Phoebe shuffled her way up the stairs as Paige and Piper gave her suspicious looks.

"We need to talk to her about this." Piper stated to a distracted Paige who seemed to be too engulfed in her thoughts to ponder on what she was saying.

"Ermm, yeah, sure." Paige agreed, less bothered than her sibling.

_I wish my sisters would stop being so secretive"_ Piper thought to herself as she began to clean the dishes and was yet again distracted by another unexpected arrival.

One demon, who looked vaguely familiar, shimmered in as Paige spotted him from the corner of her eye. Before she had time to react the demon threw out some spiked weapons from its grotty sleeves which hit the surrounding cutlery. A loud scream was heard by both Piper and Paige as they avoided being penetrated by the eery weapons. The demon threw one last blade before shimmering out of sight.

"Sharp-pointy-thingy!" Paige yelled as she orbed the blade out of harm's way.

"Sharp- pointy-thingy?" Piper mused, gently brushing away the broken glass from her arm, presumably from the glass of orange she was holding from before the attack.

Paige shrugged her shoulders and burst out laughing as Piper suddenly remembered something she heard earlier...

"PHEOBE!" She yelled, immediately urging Paige to come with her upstairs.

"What's wrong?" Paige asked, bewildered by Pipers sudden urge, as she followed Piper as fast as she could manage to run up the stairs. Both of them stopped at Phoebe's room looking wide eyed at the splinters shredded from the wooden door frame.

The door was ajar as Piper nudged it open with her injured hand. Paige stood at the entrance of the room still confused as to why they were up here.

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"I heard her scream." Piper eventually replied, unable to see Phoebe or any evidence of her being injured as well. Paige examined the door and room with all sorts of thoughts going through her mind.

"Where is she? She did come up here right?" Paige assumed as she saw her earlier going up to her room to sleep. Piper gave her sister a worried look as she paced the room, retrieving Phoebe's phone from her bedside table.

"She was here. Where is she? Paige, go check the book of shadows for that demon... he was- he looked like a h-higher level demon. I don't know though I've never saw anyone like that before. I'll try and call her work phone." Piper said panicked as her hands shook trying to dial the number.

"Piper, we'll find her. I'll go call Leo." Paige reassured her, then began sprinting to the attic, with the odd bit of hope she had left in her.

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_**With thanks to your reviews I will try and update this whenever I get time, however it may take a while because many of my exams will be happening in the near future so I may not have time to do it sooner. Thank you again for the reviews :)**_


	2. Where was I when?

**_Sorry for taking so long, will update whenever I get time. Please Review;_**

**_ and feel free to give me your ideas so I can develop my plot, I pretty much have thought of another two or three chapters but could do with some cushioning so you can PM if you like :)_**

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Chapter 2

"Hello, can I speak to Phoebe please, Ph-Phoebe Halliwell."

[Mumbling on other side of the phone]

"Ok- I – Yes alright, thank you. And—and McKean? Oh- ok, thank you anyway. Bye!"

Piper placed Phoebe's mobile down on the bedside table with a large exhale. She knew she should have trusted her instincts when it came down to magic.

Paige returned from the attic with Leo in effort to heal the situation; Piper soon followed.

"Any luck?" Paige questioned, still getting her head around the whole event.

"No. I can't believe this. She could be anywhere." Piper plumped herself down on the sofa, defeated. "-This _has_ to be something to do with that Matt. I've never had any good vibes from him."

"Piper this is crazy, you've never met the guy. He's probably just a hard working, de-"

"Demon!" Paige intervened, still optimistic, sat next to her older sibling; daring to enlighten the quizzical state on Pipers face with the information you found whilst in the attic with Leo.

"I don't think it's McKean Piper. Look." Paige handed Piper the historical Book of Shadows on the page she was looking at previously.

"_Demons of Suru- Feeds from the dissociation of loved ones and are troublesome to vanquish. Usually relinquishes all hope and joy from any participant of their games. _

_The Suru are upper level demons who are tricky to locate as they can easily be disguised and morph into anyone or anything. They possess the power to kill even the strongest of witches with their mind games._

_Only the strongest of minds can overcome what could beckon upon them._ "

"What's this?" Piper asked, confused as to what this has to do with Phoebe.

"Piper, this is what has taken Phoebe!" Paige explained, pointing at Leo for support. "Leo has spoken to the Elders and they are saying a number of persons have been taken away from their family by these."

"Well, how do you know they've taken Phoebe? It could be any other demonic creep!" Piper complained.

"Yeah, well I haven't seen any other 'demonic creeps' that match the looks and characteristics of these.." Paige, gestured to the picture drawn into the book. An image of a tall, toned man with a large, brown, worn-out trench coat and the same spiked, deadly weapons that were used to attack them earlier in the kitchen was placed on the opposing side of the page.

"Oh... Well is there any way we can get her back?" She said now as calm as before the sabotage.

Paige hesitated, then gave Leo pleading looks.

"I'll go check again with the Elders, see if they know any more about who or where these Surus are." Leo then confidently orbed out, clearly set on completing his mission.

Both siblings sat there in the silence of thoughts for a few moments as Paige picked up Phoebe's phone Piper had before and began searching through her "caller history" file.

"Piper, what time did Phoebe get in this morning?"

"Eight o'clock, wasn't it? Why?" Piper leaned in closer to peak at what Paige was pondering about.

_Call dialled: 7:59am; To: Work._

_Call answered: 8:00am; From C._

"How could she have been on her phone at eight when we were talking to her and her phone was upstairs?"

"Who the Heck's 'C'?" Piper asked as she glared at the Contacts list.

Piper and Paige exchanged concerned looks and continued searching through the file...

_Call answered: 8:01am; From: Unknown._

_Call dialled: 8:01am; To: Work._

_Call missed: 8:02am; From: Work._

"I don't know. But who-evers' phone this is, it isn't Phoebes..." Paige commented, "...or at least this couldn't have been her on the phone at that time. It's impossible. Piper, this phone was planted here."

"How do you mean?"

"I meeaan, Phoebe couldn't have made that call, who-ever put this phone here wants us to believe she's at work..." Paige sussed.

"Well, that would have been a good plan if they hadn't made it so God damn obvious this wasn't just a little trip to work, it was a demon attack. Geesh, how thick do they think we are? Honestly." Piper screamed restlessly as she shouted for Leo's help.

"LEO!"

Orbs of bright blue light appeared from no-where and formed the shape of her much loved husband.

"Any news?" She asked him almost immediately after his arrival.

"Phoebe's at work. I thought you said you called them earlier and she wasn't there?"

"What, she's at work? Since when? Piper _did_ call her work and they said Phoebe hasn't been there since last night. Leo orb us there, she's got some serious explaining to do." Paige intervened.

"Yeah. I'm gunna kill her." Piper said playfully, "I'm going to save her ass from these Surus... then I'm gunna kill her."

Paige and Leo gave that '_not again'_ look to each other, then began orbing out of the manor to where Phoebe presumably was, with Piper at their hand.

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**_Yeah I know this chapter was really short but as I said, I have loads of exams. Hopefully I'll be able to update larger chapters in weeks to come. _**


	3. Witch boss?

**Hello, sorry for taking so long to upload. I have been trying to get out on my holidays but now I'm more home-based I decided to continue the story. **

**I have this whole story planned but I can't be sure if it's too too confusing or short so PLEASE REVIEW**** and I will try to_ improve_ and _adjust the plot_ to make it more understandable and simple in the later chapters. **

**And once again it may take a while to upload since I will be spending most of the weeks to come taking care of my new puppy I will be getting soon so I apologise for such a slow chapter. **

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Orbs of blue light arose from the area of Pheobe's office; the faces of Piper, Leo and Paige immerged from within the light.

"Phoebe!" Piper yelled, enraged by the simplicity of where she found her sister all along.

Phoebe was laid in an almost dream-like state, half on her desk, half slumped on her cushioned chair. Pipers sudden entrance startled her from that state as she instinctively stride to her blinds to protect Leos orbs from being seen by her fellow clients.

"W- w- w- what-" Phoebe double checked no-one saw their unanticipated entrance. "What are you doing?! Are you nuts? Half the office nearly saw that." Composing herself, "What's wrong?"

Paige interrogated her sister's eyes to make sure she wasn't just acting like she didn't know.

"When did you get here?" Paige quizzed, not sure she'd actually want to hear the reply.

"Since I left Piper from the club. Around ermm.. 6ish?" Phoebe said unsure of why they were asking, "Why?"

Leo gave his concerned 'something's not right' look to Piper and she immediately retaliated.

"Phoebe, you really can't remember anything after then?" Going on auto-pilot-older-sister, she began explaining what happened and what they heard from the kitchen, then elucidating the events prior.

"-so you understand why we're so worried..." Piper eventually finished after a period of time so long, Paige and Leo had almost joined Phoebe in her previous sleep as they amused themselves with Pipers loss of breath, avoiding the seriousness of the situation.

Phoebe didn't share their light-hearted manner and was fairly enraged with what or who had invaded her mind, furthermore erasing her memory of the past 12 hours. Whatever happened within that space of hours, neither of the sisters knew what had happened. Leo and Paige were busy elsewhere with charges; Piper had her hands full taking care of the club and Phoebe was presumably indulging in her project with her boss at work...

"Your boss!" Paige screamed alarmingly, almost drawing the attention of all of the office workers.

Phoebe was distracted from her deep thoughts, "Paige, keep it dow-"

"No, listen! Right, so when you left P3 you came here, right?"

"Right. Well I think bu-"

"Right. So who did you come here to meet? – I'm guessing the same person you meet every time you work over hours with, your boss!" Paige clearly exhilarated by her current detective-like persona, which Phoebe seemed to look amused at. Before she had time to deliver her own judgement on the recent hypothesis, Piper intervened with her relief.

"Thank God someone pointed out the obvious! I thought it was just me being paranoid. Phoebe your boss obviously has something to do with this, it's the only reason Paige and I can see being plausible. I told you he is too suspicious for my liking!"

"Piper, you haven't even met the man. He hasn't got anything to do with this. I should know."

Leo's curiosity drove to the fore-front; "What do you mean, _you should know_?"

Phoebe avoided Leo and Pipers intense eye contact, pleading her eyes at Paige instead, as if she knew what Phoebe meant.

Latching on-to Phoebe's arm, Paige claimed Phoebe and herself had to sort something out before they had time to answer Leo's question, then orbing off before Piper had chance to link on.

Leaving both Piper and Leo in her office, remaining confused about the whole memory-loss burden, Leo obtained Piper's hand in order to orb back to the manor. Precedent to the orbs leaving the ground, Piper let go of Leo's hand in order to do some investigation of her own.

Rummaging through Phoebe's work diary and contact book, she managed to salvage some information that might come in handy when solving the whole boss-mystery at hand. Leo, less than 2mins of him abandoning her, composed from the orbs to retrieve his adoring wife.

"What happened? You let go."

"Sorry- I – I thought I saw someone watching but it was just a poster." Piper gave a ginger form of laughter and returned back by Leo's side, once again orbing out to the manor.

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**-Returning home eminently after their orb out of the office-**

"Phoebe what's going on?" Paige questioned, more anxious of Piper and Leos return to care for how straight-forward she sounded in her own way.

"Sorry for making you do that, I just really need to tell someone and Piper won't understand because you know-"

"No I don't know- I'm not a mind-reader...explain, explain!"

"That parts not important. Look, it's just that, I've agreed to help him find his sister. That's why I'm always at the office- well I'm not at th- I was to yous but... Ok I've been saying I've been going to my office but really I'm helping him and -" Phoebe realised the speed of her speech and gained composure in time for Paige to continue with her questions.

"Wait wait –waaaiiit. Right, so who's this 'he'? Your boss?"

"Yeah, yeah. My boss, but Paige you've got to keep this a secret because I can't! I can't keep secrets. It's a thing I can't do. OK?"

"Alright, but why do you have to help, why couldn't he just go to the Police? And what am I meant to tell Piper? You are going to tell her though; I don't see why it's such a big secret anyway."

Phoebe contained her excitement of finally revealing her secret and maintained her informal position.

"Because it's a demonic thing. The police can't find her because a demon abducted her and now I'm his only hope. Please just don't tell Piper. Just say we had to get some buns out of the oven or something..."

Paige's baffled look wasn't the reassurance Phoebe was hoping for.

"Buns... in the oven? Phoebes we aren't pregnant! I'll just say –"

Interrupting their discussion, Leo materialised from the bottom of the staircase.

"—we forgot to leave a tip for the waiter." Paige realised how stupid that scapegoat sounded in time for Phoebe to exchange her a amused look of confusion mutual to Leo's. Belated to his arrival, orbs reappeared, abdicating their brother-in-law back to his absent wife.

Phoebe and Paige reverted back into their earlier intruded conversation.

"And you thought the 'bun in the oven' excuse was bad..." Phoebe sniggered at her younger sisters ignorance.

"Yeah that was pretty bad. We'll have to get going to make the whole waiter excuse seem even a tiny bit believable. Leo will be back soon I'm guessing. But what has this whole thing got to do with the memory loss?"

"I don't know, but my boss hasn't got anything to do with it. I swear. I know he wouldn't do anything to do with magic. He hasn't got any powers anyway! He's human. Mortal, or whatever you want to call it... Ok got to go now to that restaurant to give them the money; thanks for the lift Paige! Bye!"

Phoebe sprinted to the entrance, gliding to the coat rack and fetching her best jacket before leaving. Swiftly checking her reflection in the nearest shiny object to make sure she looked decent to where-ever she was going.

Paige glanced at her departing sister as she pivoted in bewilderment to continue what she was plotting to do earlier, unknown to her, Piper and Leo had reappeared moments earlier.

Piper gave Paige an intrigued scowl, walking up to her and demanding 'why the heck' did she orb Phoebe out of the office, rather astonishingly averting her attention to whatever was preoccupying her mind in those minutes rather than prolonging the argument.

Leo orbed out before Piper had time to stop him and guilty Paige also orbed out to an unknown location.

Leaving Piper on her own in the manor to ponder the contact she had dwelling in her pocket. Ready to take action, she took the contact out and planned her next move of investigation she was dying to commence.

The piece of paper with the contact:

**M**

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**Name:** Matt McKean (C.R)

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**Phone: ** +1 628 597 85

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**Address: **416 Milestone Ave.

SF0Q08P

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_**To be continued... **_

** Fingers-crossed soon if you have been enjoying the story. Reviews mean the World. _THANK YOU_**


	4. What now?

_**I can't wait to share this story with you all. It's all been planned and I think it will be great. So please review**_

_Recap:_

Phoebe goes missing for the night. She appears in the morning stating she was at work.

A demon attacks and Phoebe vanishes, which leaves Piper infuriated with Matt McKean (the boss), because she had her suspicions over him. The demons that attacked are the Suru [see details on Chapter 2].

Paige, Piper and Leo search for Phoebe, finding her at her office which seemed unexplainable as they never heard her leave the manor. Phoebe has no memory of what had happened over the past 12 hours.

Phoebe explained to Paige (and only Paige), that she had been working with her boss for weeks to help find his sister who was abducted by demons.

Piper stole the address of the boss (Matt) without anyone knowing.

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**Chapter 4: **

Placing the paper with the address on the coffee table and proceeding to the coat stand; Piper glided on her most sensible looking coat in effort to impress and overpower this Matt McKean she's heard so little about. With her suspicions raised, she swept back to the table to collect the address on her way out. It was gone... or so she thought. Glancing at the floor, she plunged down and reinterpreted the paper that had dropped, and then went on her way to her car.

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As Phoebe left, she went straight towards work. Eyes wide on getting the information she needed on her memory loss. Hoping someone at work could place a label on her where-abouts the previous day. Turning her favourite CD up on full-blast, the car was pounding with the sound she loved. Too involved with her singing to care for how much petrol was in the tank of her car, she began to slow down and lose control ever so slightly. The rain from in the morning hadn't helped much in the steadiness of the wheels on the over-exposed ground. Gaining less and less control, a crash seemed inevitable.

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Leo orbed in at just the right time to defend his charge from an incoming demon attack, diving her out of harms way then travelling to the first place that came to mind when he thought of her safety. At the charge's home Ksenia looked up at him with pleading eyes. Something wasn't right. She had always been strong mentally and physically; it was normal for Leo to help her when a demon from the underworld targeted her. This time it was different, something was seriously bothering her, he just knew it. Ksenia had been Leo's charge since he had become a white-lighter... for the second time. He knew exactly what she was feeling when she gave him certain looks, this was no different. For Ksenia it was no different. Leo had been there for her every step of the magical way, as cheesy as that sounds, she trusted him with everything and he trusted her.

He gave her his look of concern and directly went to the white-lighter mode he is oh-so-used-to.

"What's wrong? Did they hurt you? I got there as soon as I could." There was no vocal response. She continued to gather to her feet then walk to her kitchen and offer Leo a drink as thanks.

"Ksenia, I know there's something wrong. I can't do anything until you tell me what it is."

Ksenia's matt black hair deemed across her fairly petite face, covering the slight sight of a tear draining down her cheek.

"Leo, just leave it. I don't have to tell you. You don't have anything to do with my personal business anyway."

Visibly offended, Leo stepped back and gave his last warm support, "I'm not someone who has just came here to take advantage. I came here to help you. I am here to support you. I'm someone to talk to. Don't go throwing an opportunity from your closest friend to help, out of the window when it's staring at you in the face Ksenia." Taking a short pause, and moment to reflect he simply orbed away leaving way for her to get her thoughts together.

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Panicking at the risk of rolling down the San Francisco's roads of steep concrete with many tens of cars starting to park on the side of the road in case of emergency, Phoebe forced her foot on the brake pedal and tried her best to pull in to the safe parking place; narrowly avoiding a collision with a gas truck coming her way.

"Crap."

Making a journey to work then losing petrol and breaking down half way there wasn't exactly on her wish-list.

Phoebe accumulated her-self then scavenged round within her pockets for her cell, before realising she didn't have it when she left the manor. She thought to call Paige to see if she could fetch it across to her... but then she obviously realised she didn't have a phone to call her.

Sighing with no hope of getting a cab ride with no purse, her only option was to climb the vast array of hills to find the nearest free phone at her office, unless... [to be continued chapter 5]

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Paige deceitfully only made it look as though she was orbing away to see a charge, when in-fact she orbed to her room upstairs in the manor. She couldn't bare to face Piper with the secret and then get all the agro from orbing Phoebe away from the office when tensions were heating up. It's not her secret to tell anyway. A few minutes after she heard Piper go silent down stairs as Leo left, Paige decided to see how Piper would react before delaying the inevitable. Gradually making her way towards the bottom of the stairs, she saw Piper indulged in the paper she was holding. Paige couldn't quite make-out what it was saying but she had a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with Phoebe. Let's just call it a witch's instinct. As soon as Piper settled the paper on the side, Paige whispered "paper" quite enough so Piper couldn't hear; to retrieve it and read what-ever had interested Piper so dearly.

Quickly reading through the details of the piece that was now visible in her hand, she gasped at what it had written on it: the address of Phoebe's boss, Matt. She couldn't let Piper talk to him; it would ruin what-ever Phoebe had left of her secret and trust in Paige. As soon as Piper rumbled with her coat to get it on, Paige once again quietly whispered, "Let the object of objection become but a dream, as I cause the scene to be unseen."

The address abruptly relinquished from the paper and was left blank. Paige panicked at the speed of Piper as she was nearly ready with her jacket. Orbing a pen to her hand, she speedily wrote down a completely different address, hoping she wouldn't notice since Piper didn't seem to have an eye for detail.

As Piper finished putting on her jacket, Paige orbed the paper back on the table without Piper seeing.

Paige's breath was held for many moments before Piper left the manor with the note, with no suspicion she was aware of. A huge sigh of relief over-whelmed her as she avoided Phoebe's secret being spilt.

Paige had time to read the first two lines of the paper before changing the words, which was great for someone who needed to find out more about this secret Phoebe was so daring to hide from her elder sister.

"Phoebe owes me one anyway." She said to herself as she got in motion to Google-map this address, "I still don't know why Phoebe wants to hide this from Piper, and if this is the only way to find out, so be it."

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**_This story is going no-where with no reviews people so keep them going, even if it's from 'guest's and I may continue if you wish. Otherwise this story will be deleted and I'll start a different one after 'On the Other Hand'..._**


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